Okay so I have been slack again with updating the blog. It’s not an excuse but I have been so busy since I have been back I haven’t even had time to catch my breath.

So the last time I blogged was the day before I went back to work. Well it was straight back in at the deep end. The first thing I had to do was catch up on the status of where my new departments were, and it was obvious to see the answer was not where they should be. So the first three days were really catching up and identifying key area’s that needed focus. Come Friday night all I wanted was a few cold beers and to veg out in front of the TV.

The Saturday was supposed to be a shopping day, so after a lay in I ventured in to town and started working through my list. It got to lunch time and I thought I’d grab a sandwich and chill out sitting in the sunshine when I got a call from the office advising that w had major issues with one of out largest systems. I managed to finish my sandwich as I headed back to the car and then spent the rest of the afternoon on the phone sorting the issue out.

Saturday evening was my cousin Jennifer’s 21st and Dad volunteered to drive so they picked me up about 17:00 and we headed out on the road towards Reading to a place called Longbridge Mill. It was good to catch up with the family again, and they were all interested to hear how I got on in India and what my plans were now. The issue at work was still bubbling away and the evening was slightly mared by the odd phone call.

Sunday was a chill out day and about 13:00 I headed up to Mum & Dad’s as they were doing a BBQ. However by 15:00 the clouds still hung in the sky to we decided to cook in the tradition fashion.

Monday it was back to work and before I knew it it was the weekend again. This weekend is the last free one I have as I am duty manager next weekend and fly back to India on Monday so I elected to chill out and sort some things out around the house.

That’s it really! Boring! Well I kind of knew it would be like this this time back but I am only back in India for 9 days so it should be easier after that. Maybe I can even start to have a Life?

Tags: Beer, Birthdays, Fun, Party

Wow, it has been over a month since my last entry but at least I have something to blog about. Well that’s not quite true, I actually have a lot to blog about! Now the hard bit is deciding where to start.

So in my last post I was Duty Manager and trapped in my apartment in India planning my trip to Thailand, so let’s start there. Well on the Monday Chris Gothard, a collegue from the UK arrived in order to meet the team and discuss a few organisation changes. It was a great week and Chris enjoyed putting names to faces and catching up with people that he had only spoken to previously via the phone and email. It was a busy week with a lot of stuff to cover but we got through everything and even resolved some long outstanding issues. Sometimes its just so much easier when you can sit down and discuss things. Friday was Chris and Sandra’s last day in India before they flew back to the UK so there was a big party to see them off. I think most people from the team in India made it along at some point and judging by the fact you couldn’t get on the dance floor I think everybody had a great time.

Saturday morning I woke up feeling a lot better than I expected to given the amount I had poured down my neck. I love a free bar! Karan was prompt as usual and after manhandeling my suit case into the car we headed for Delhi’s IGI Airport. I arrived with plenty of time to spare but I was in holiday mode and didn’t care as I sat there listening to my iPod watching the world go by. We boarded the plane, and my backside struggled to get use to the economy seats. Thankfully it was only a three hour flight and after few beers to top up Friday nights quota I was soon asleep.

We touched down at Bangkok’s International Airport about 20 minutes late and disembarked straight away. I sailed through passport control and my bag was on the belt waiting for me. Perfect! I headed out and grabbed the first taxi I could find and gave him the address of the Hotel and we set off. As we drove the 40 minutes to the hotel I answered the normal question on where I was from, how I was here on holiday, and yes I liked beautiful women. I looked out of the window at the high rise skyscrappers and felt very much at home even though there was palm trees everywhere. We arrived at the hotel and I checked in, grabbed a shower, and changed my clothes. Unpacking would have to wait as I had spotted a McDonalds across from the hotel as we arrived. As I walked in through the big glass doors I am sure I looked insane with the smile I was wearing, as I ordered I must have looked like a raving lunatic. As I approached the counter thoughts raced through my mind, how many Big Mac’s did they have in stock? Would I be allowed to order them all? Would they deliver to India? I approached with caution and ordered a large Big Mac meal. I don’t remember the next 3.6 minutes as I was in a “Happy Place”. As I liked my fingers and drained my full fat coke I could only think of one thing. A Cheese Burger Meal! So back at the counter and then back to my table and the “Happy Place”. After eating I just felt really tired, but knew if I went to bed to early I would be awake early hours so I went for a wander. It didn’t take me to long to find a bar and as I walked in I was welcomed by 3 or 4 very beautiful girls. I sat at the bar and ordered a beer and two of the girls sat down with me. They asked me the same questions the cab driver had asked me and made general chit chat. By the time I finished my beer one of the girls was sat on my lap and the other one rubbing my shoulders. I made my excuses, well they weren’t really excuses as I was totally knackered, and headed back to the hotel alone. I grabbed a quick drink in the bar and then headed to bed.

Over the next few days I enjoyed laying in, usually until 10:00 before venturing out to for breakfast. After breakfast I would do a little shopping and generally look around before heading in search of Lunch. Lunch usually focused around beef in one form or another. After lunch I would head back to the hotel to drop my bags off and would then spend a few hours by the pool. Around 15:00 I would generally doze off and wake a couple of hours later ready to eat. I would grab a shower and change, not that it was really worth it as I within 30 seconds of leaving the hotel I would be sweating profoundly. I would then enjoy a few drinks and make small talk with the girls. They tried to teach me Thai and laughed at my mispronunciation.

Tuesday night I caught the night train from Bangkok to Champon. It was very similar to the train I caught from Mumbia to Goa although there were less bunks per carriage and a lot more space. I arrived in Chanpon about 04:30 Wednesday morning and was meet at the train station by the company that runs one of the ferries between Champon and Koh Tao. It was about a 20 minute drive from the train station to the ferry terminal and then we had an hours wait until the ferry left. Luckily there was a cafe which sold coffee and snacks.

The ferry took about 3 hours and I got talking to one of the deck hands who spoke very good English which passed the time. We reached the island of Koh Tao about 11:00 and it was a short walk along the beach to the dive school. Once at the school I filled in the paperwork and checked into my room. The room was quite basic, bathroom, double bed, TV, but it would do. I grabbed a shower and then headed off in search of some lunch. It wasn’t hard as there were only two main streets and every other building was a resturant which sold good old English food. It was fantastic sat in shorts and t-shirts looking out at the beach eating Sausage and Mash. After lunch I headed back to my room and grabbed a few hours sleep. I woke up and headed to the bar grabbed a drink and got chatting to the other people that would be on my course. We all had a few beers and then headed off for dinner.

The second day we all met up at 09:00 and headed for the class room and a morning of video’s and tests. We finished about 14:00 by which time I was starving so headed in search of lunch. The afternoon was spent in the swimming pool running through some of the basic skills. Over the next few days we headed out to sea a practices our skills before diving the various reefs and huntng down different fish, stingyrays, and turtles. The last dive of the PADI Open Water exam was a night dive, which was in my view one of the best. We headed out about 18:00 and arrived at the dive site just as the sun was setting. We entered the water, turned on our torches and desended. It was amazing as there seems to be a lot more around. As we surfaced we all looked up and the stars seemed so bright. We bobbed around for about 10 minutes just staring at the sky before returning to the boat.

The next day we started our advanced course, and more book work. Luckily it was just the morning and in the afternoon we headed out to do our first two dives. The first was fish ID, which as it says was all about identifying underwater sea life, whilst the second was navigation, and I think my sailing helped a little as I was familiar with a compass and found the tasks no problem at all. When we got back I elected to do another course, NITROX, which allows you to dive on a mixture of Oxygen and Nitrogen rather than air. The benefit of this is that you can stay under for longer periods. There was another exam but it was basically algothrims so was pretty easy.

The folowing day was the last two dives of the advanced course and probably the most fun after the night dive. The first was the deep dive, which basically sees how you are affected by Narcoisis. We reached just over 30 metres and nobody showed any signs. Quite disappointing really. The last dive I did with a Dive Propelled Vehicle. This allowed us to cover an awful lot more ground and use a lot less air as we weren’t expending as much energy. As I had completed the NITROX course we completed the last two dives on Nitrox we were down for about 40 minutes on each dive and still came up with enough for another 20 minutes, but had to surface as others were low on air. That afternoon we completed all our paperwork and recieved our tempory certificates.

The following day was my birthday so I decided on a different type of sporting activity, namely drinking until I fell down. I was accompanied by a number of the Dive Master and Instructors and got to bed about 01:00 the following morning after basically crawling my way around pubs all day. I was surprised when I woke up at 10:00 the following morning with only a mild headache, which was quickly resolved after a visit to the NITROX tank building. That afternoon I signed up for two last fun dives. We went back to places I had seen before but it was a lot more fun as we didn’t have to practice all the skills and I was put with an experienced diver. We were on air for both of these dives but were down for over 50 minutes each time. When we surfaced I still had enough for another 15-20 minutes. That evening I went for drinks with some of the Dive Masters and long term visitors who just couldn’t bring themselves to leave.

The following morning I packed, ate some lunch and then headed for the ferry port as my time on Koh Tao was over. As I sat there watching the ferry pull in I checked my BlackBerry and saw an email saying that I was needed in the UK as soon as possible. I made a couple of calls to find out what was going on, and then returned to my holiday. The ferry ride took about two hours and when I arrived at the ferry port in Koh Sumai I was greated by GIANT. No kidding you this guy was about 40” Tall and like 18 tons. Okay maybe not quite but you get the picture. I swallowed hard when he held up a card with the name of my hotel on it. I wanded over and said “Hi!” He introduced himself as Vince and lifed my suitcase, which by now did weight at least a ton, cleanly onto his shoulder. I followed him to the minibus, where he loaded my case into the back and then waved goodbye. It was about a 30 minute ride to the hotel and I was pretty knackered. Koh Sumia according to everyone is very touristy, and that’s the impression I got as we drove through what looked like little spain. We arrived at the hotel, which was right on the beach and I checked before grabbing a shower and change of clothes. I went for a short walk, but there wasn’t much about, apart from the normal gift shops. I headed to the hotel bar and order a drink and something to eat but struggled to finish them both, so called it quits and headed to bed.

The following morning I woke up about 10:00 felling a lot better but didn’t really have time to do anything as my flight was at 15:00. It was only 15 Minutes to the airport so I opted for a morning by the pool. I arrived at the airport on time, and enjoyed the whole experieince. Seriously I have never seen an airport like it. You felt as if you were on the beech. They even had free fruit juice, fruit, and pasteries.

We departed on time and 2 hours later landed back in Bangkok where I repeated the actions of my first day and grabbed a cab to the hotel. I had a 18:00 flight the following day but a 14:00 checkout and 3 hour airport checkin, so I grabbed something to eat and then hit the bars for one last night in Thailand, and the last steak for a while. I got to bed about 02:00 and woke about 11:00 the next day. After showing and packing I had a quick brunch and then checked out and headed back to the airport.

I arrived back in New Delhi at 21:00 Sunday night and was met by a very happy Karan. He couldn’t wait to tell me the good news about he and his wife having a baby son. I got back to the apartment about 22:00 and unpacked. Well I think most of the clothes walked to the laundry basket themselves. Then headed to bed.

See the Thailand Photos.

Tags: Beer, Birthdays, Family, Food, Friends, Fun, Holiday, Party, Photography, Shopping, Travel

After feeling rough mid-week I decided I needed to take it easy and stick to a plain (English) diet. Thursday I was feeling better (In as much as I could function) but by Friday I felt normal again, but decided not to have an easy weekend.

It was Mik Bedson's (Operations Director) last day Friday, before he fly's back to the UK to take up his new role, and as always it called for a party. The band he played with here in India gave a very good performance and Mik, his normal fun loving self, was soon there guitar in hand to join in the fun. Friday night there were drinks and joint dinner party for Mik and Nick De Vansey, who is also leaving shortly, at the DLF Golf and Country club where we all got to say goodbye, or see you in a few months for those of us following in his foot steps.

It was a lovely evening and a lovely venue and I got to catch up with a lot of people I only usually speak to across a meeting room. It was a nice and relaxed evening and I was home and tucked up in bed by 23:30. Click here for pictures.

Friday Chris, Sandra, and myself had made tentative plans to get out and do something on Saturday. So after a nice lay in Saturday morning Karan picked us up and we headed towards Delhi. We first of all headed to a dear park which we spent about an hour and a half walking around before stopping at a restaurant for lunch. After lunch we had about an hours walk around the rose garden before heading to Buddha Jayanti Park. This was an extremely large park that has been created along what is known as Delhi Ridge, which according to the guide book is the last outcrop of the Aravalli Hills extending northwards from Rajasthan.

After about 5 hours walking we were all pretty tired and had trouble keeping our eyes open during the drive back to Gurgaon. Once in Gurgaon we headed to Harriez for something to eat and lots of water as we were all feeling pretty dehydrated after all the walking. Click here for pictures.

Today I woke up about 09:00 and did the normal washing and called upon the services of the Ironing man (really need to find out his name before I leave). Now I am sitting down with a cheese and onion sandwich sorting out my trip to Thailand, oh and another trip I am looking at doing 1st-5th May to Khajuraho and a tiger reserve. More on that later!

Tags: Beer, Food, Friends, Fun, Party, People, Photography, Relaxing, Sickness, Sightseeing, Travel

I have added a couple of elements to the web site recently purely for fun. The first Ratings allows visitors to rate each blog post. At the bottom of each blog post are 5 stars, simply select the number of stars you think an entry deserves by clicking a star with the mouse and you have rated the entry.

The second element Polls allows visitors to vote on different questions and / or subjects of interest by clicking the answer and then the vote button. The Polls appear in the right hand side bar (the orange ribbon).

The Polls will be a mixture of fun and serious questions. If you have an idea for a Poll question you can send it to me via the Contact Form.

Don't delay, Vote Today!

Tags: Fun, Web Development

Okay so starting at the begining Karan picked Laurence and I up at 07:30 Saturday morning and we drove to the domestic airport terminal. Laurence, Sandra, and Chris all flew with SpiceJet but I was on a Go Air flight that was supposed to leave 5 minutes earlier, not that is the reason I booked it, I booked it because I wasn't paying attention. The flights were about an hour late taking off but we all arrived at Mumbia airport within minutes of each other and all met up outside. Leon, a friend of Chris and Sandra's, flew into Mumbia International from the UK and the hotel cab picked him up then came around to the domestic airport to collect us before we all headed to the Farias hotel where we checked in, dumped our bags, and meet by the pool for a few drinks and a late lunch. After lunch we headed off into Mumbia, checking out the Gateway to India on the way.

We wandered around the streets taking in the sights, sounds, and smells, before making our way towards the beech for a long walk along the promenade. We stopped off for 10 minutes to take a walk down to the sea. Laurence and I then headed to Leopolds bar for a few beers leaving Sandra, Chris, and Leon on the beech. We got to Leopolds and it was obvious we were not going to be able to eat as the queue for the restaurant was out the door and half way up the street. So we headed upstairs to the bar and ordered a couple of Budwiesers. The place was dark, crowded (mainly with ex-pats) and very very smokey. We were half way through our second beer when Sandra, Chris, and Leon walked in. We quickly decided we were all hungry and tired so we finished our beers and decided to walk back to the hotel for dinner. We walked, talked, and headed in the general direction of the hotel. We were just starting to doubt ourselves and a street kid came up to us offering to show us the way. We turned left and walked about 200 yards and we had arrived. Laurence gave him about 8 rupees (10p), and we all laughed at his demands for 20 as we headed for the hotel restaurant. We grabbed dinner and a few more beers before all heading to our respective rooms for an early night.

Sunday morning we met for breakfast by the pool and discussed the plans for the day. We decided to head off on a boat trip to an Island called Elephanta (http://www.sacred-destinations.com/india/elephanta-caves.htm). The island is basically a set of 5 temples all carved into the rock. They are pretty worn now, and any restoration that has been done hasn't done anything to preserve the beauty of the carvings etc, but we walked around all 5 caves and then up to a place called Cannon Hill. Named basically as it featured a large cannon on top of a hill. After a little rest and a bunch of photo's we headed back down the hill only stopping off for a quick soft drink. We were just in time for the 13:30 boat back and most people snoozed all the way. We arrived back at the hotel and met up with another friend of Chris and Sandra's called Scott who has setup camp in the bar. We dragged him out and up to the poolside bar where we had lunch and got to know each other over, yes you have guessed it, a few cold beers.

It was early evening by the time we set off out taking Scott to see the Gateway to India and the streets of Mumbia. We found one of the other hotels we had considered and decided to stop for cocktails and later dinner. We had to be at Mumbia train station for 23:00 so we all ordered stuff that we knew wouldn't take long to prepare, cook, and eat. We left the hotel and grabbed taxi's back to the Fariyas to collect our luggage and then drive us to the train station.

We arrived in good time but checking the boards we found the train was running 45 minutes late so we headed to a waiting room and waited it out. The train eventually arrived and we found our bunks. We made ourselves at home and then sat back and took in everything that was going on around us, you know the call for Coffee, Tea, and Chicken Lollipops, before eventually succumbing to tiredness and falling asleep.

We woke up Monday morning traveling through some beautiful countryside and it all looked so much more civilized. I decided to go for a smoke and stood by one of the open carriage doors watching the landscape rush by. We arrived about two hours later and booked a couple of pre-paid cabs for the journey to the hotel. It was so nice seeing different (non-city) scenery and now I felt like I was on holiday. We arrived at the Oceanique Hotel about 45 minutes later and by this time we all needed a little down time. We had slept on the train, but maybe not as well as any of us would have in our own beds. We checked in and the first thing I needed was a shower and a shave. I came back down to find Leon, Scott, and Laurence by the pool and it took no effort to join them lying there in 33 degrees as they organized the drinks.

After a swim and a few beers we headed out in search off food by way of the beech. Sandra, Chris, and Scott has gone ahead of us and had found "Bob's Bar", or something like that. Laurence, Leon, and myslef had waited for Ndidi, who had flown in from Delhi that morning, and then walked down to join them. We took our seats and enjoyed some great food and yes a few more cold beers. We sat, we talked, and we watched the ocean before heading back to the hotel for some more R&R agreeing to meet up later in the bar. Well after a shower (yes another one, well it was hot) I wandered down to the bar and ordered a beer. My intention was to have one, maybe two, and then go exploring as I wasn't tired. It didn't quite work out that way. I was about halfway through my first beer when Ndidi walked in. She wasn't tired either, having only flown the couple of hours from Delhi. She was closely followed by Laurence, Leon, Scott, Sandra, and Chris. Now after this things are a little bit of a blur. I remember sometime later we decided it was time to head out for dinner and I remember walking into town with the gang. I also remember saying to Chris that I wasn't hungry and was going off exploring. The basic upshot was that I had figured out I was rat assed and needed to go to bed. So I wandered back to the hotel, stopping off for a beer or two on the way, and once back at the hotel I promptly passed out. I am told that the rest of them bar Chris and Sandra didn't fair much better as they were drinking until about 02:00 Tuesday morning.

Tuesday morning I found Chris, Sandra, Scott, and Ndidi in the restaurant having breakfast. Sandra had arranged for cab's into old Goa. Chris, Sandra, Scott, and Myself headed off in the first cab about 10:30 and the others left about 11:00 in the second cab.

Goa was invaded and occupied by the Portuguese and is predominately Roman Catholic. We looked around ruins of old Churches and some of the older churches and cathedrals that are still very much in use, before heading down to the Quay and the admiralty arch that most of those that came here entered through. We then headed back towards the hotel as Sandra, Chris, Scott, and Leon were all due to leave. Scott and Leon for Jaipur and Chris and Sandra for Delhi.

We decided however there was enough time for lunch if we went straight there and that's exactly what we did. Well Sandra, Chris, Scott, and myself. Leon walked down from the hotel as they had got back before us and went for a final dip in the ocean, and Ndidi and Laurence walked down to say goodbye. I got the cab back to the hotel with Chris, Sandra, Scott, and Leon, and opted for a few hours by the pool.

A couple of hours later, a subtle shade of red, hot, and sweaty I decided on a shower followed by a couple of cold beers. Laurence met me in the bar and we headed down to the beech to find a bar and food. Ndidi was going to catchup with us as she had a massage booked. We sat, drank, ate and then bar hopped our way back to the hotel.

Wednesday morning I woke and the guys had arranged to go and see a spice market. I had already toured the Delhi spice market and decided a day by the pool and on the beech was in order, and we agreed to meet up at the airport.

I spent a couple of hours laying by the pool before heading off to the beech. I spent my last 5 hours sitting on the beech, swimming in the sea, and sitting at a beech bar with a cold beer watching the world go by, before getting a cab to the airport to meet up with Laurence and Ndidi.

We had a good flight back, and I slept all the way. Laurence's driver picked us up at Delhi Airport and dropped us all back home.

Thursday, Friday, Saturday I chilled out at home, did a little shopping, got my hair cut, and drank some more beer. I think tomorrow I might venture to the gym!

Checkout the Photo's, and over the next few days I intend to cut the footage together I shot with the Handycam and upload that to the Movie Gallery.

Otherwise check out some of the photo's the others took;

• Chris's Photo's.

Tags: Beer, Food, Friends, Fun, Relaxing, Sightseeing, Travel

Okay so it has been a little while, but I do have an excuse, well kind of.

So after the visit down to Pune I went into preparation mode for Mum and Dad's arrival. To be honest there wasn't to much to do but I think it was the anticipation more than anything. So Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday were normal days in the office. Thursday Mum and Dad were due to land at 10:20 IST so Karan picked me up at 08:30 and we headed for the airport. We arrived in good time and missed the normal Delhi traffic. Mum & Dad's plane had made up the little time it has lost and was showing on time, so Karan and I joined the mass of people assembled at the arrivals gate and waited.

About 11:30-12:00 Mum and Dad emerged and I managed to grab Mum's arm (Having pushed my way to the front). We quickly made our way through the throng of people and to the car, where we said hello for the first time in 2 months.

Getting into the car Mum and Dad started striping off the jumpers and Karan put the air conditioning on. The fact he and I were still wearing jumpers and coats and were freezing was of great amusement to Karan.

We made our way back from Delhi along to NH8 to Gurgaon with Mum and Dad taking in as much as they could. Once at the apartment I gave them a quick tour and settled them in before grabbing some lunch and heading back to the office. The rest of the day was hectic as I still had so much to do before going on leave, and to be honest my mind wasn't really engaged, but I struggled through. I finished at 18:00 and went back to the apartment for a beer and Mum and Dad looked a lot more relaxed if a little tired. About 19:30 we headed off to Harriez, a restaurant located in my gym complex and enjoyed chicken sizzlers and chips, after booking Mum and Dad in for a massage the following day.

Friday morning I left for work at 08:30 leaving Mum and Dad in bed. Karan picked them up at 11:45 and they met me at the office, where I learnt they had only been woken up by the cleaners at 11:00 (I think they have got accustomed to Indian life already). We headed to a local shopping center, where i showed them around the shops they would need before grabbing a subway for lunch. After lunch Mum and Dad dropped me back at the office and headed for the gym for there massage.

Karan picked me up from work at 18:00 and I returned home to find Mum and Dad well and truly at home with a glass of wine. After a couple of beers we headed off for dinner with Chris, Sandra, and Laurance at a restaurant called Park Balucshi where Mum and Dad tried there first Indian meal in India. After a very nice meal (if a little rich) we headed back to the apartment via the Crowne Plaza, where I had spent my first 3 weeks for a night cap. I think we sat up until 02:00-03:00 Saturday morning talking and catching up.

Saturday was a gentle day. Karan picked us up at 13:00 and we went for a drive around Old Gurgaon before having some lunch at one of the malls (McChicken Sandwich Meal). After that we took a nice walk around Leisure Valley Park before returning to the apartment where we had a few drinks and ordered Pizza.

Sunday Karan picked us up at 11:00 and we drove into Delhi via the Diplomatic area and Parliament house, stopping off at India gate. We then headed to Connaught Place (CP) touring the inner and outer ring where we stopped off at Blues for a quick beer (Well sightseeing is thirsty work). We then drove to the Red Fort but Mum wasn't feeling too great, add to that it's extremely big we didn't think we would have time to have a proper look anyway. We headed back to Gurgaon and at about 20:00 Dad and I headed off to Sweet Obsession for a mexican, leaving Mum resting up on the sofa. We returned about about 22:30 and enjoyed a nightcap.

Monday Karan picked Dad and I up at 10:00 Monday and we headed for the Red Fort, leaving Mum on the sofa still not feeing great. Karan advised that the Red Fort was closed, Doh!. I had asked him Sunday when Delhi was closed, but I had asked while touring CP and he had correctly stated Sunday's, What I should have asked of course is what is closed on what day's, but live and learn. So Dad and I stopped off at a crafts market and has a 30 minute look around, but it really wasn't something we were into. We then drove to Lodi Gardens where we spent about 2 hours walking around, trying to find the sunshine and avoid the shade of the tree's. We then headed back to Gurgaon on the MG Road stopping off at a rather impressive temple on the way. We arrived back at the apartment at about 18:00 and cooked dinner and enjoyed a beer.

Tuesday Mum still wasn't feeling great and I had a stinking cold so Dad headed of towards Delhi with Karan and visited Qutub Minar, the Lotus Temple, and Humayun's Tomb. He arrived back about 18:00 and I was feeling a lot brighter, but Mum still wasn't feeling so good. About 19:30 Dad and I headed to a Punjab restaurant for dinner, after which we dropped in on Vikram for a night cap.

This morning Mum was still feeling awful and hadn't slept much so we opted for a quiet day. Dad and I did however go for a brief drive out into the country side this afternoon and on returning found Mum to be a little brighter. We are going to have another quiet night in tonight and see how she is tomorrow before making any firm plans.

Well that's it for now, hopefully a little more as the week goes on and Mum gets better.

Tags: Beer, Architecture, Family, Food, Fun, Sightseeing

Okay so Christmas 2007 was certainly different, but let's start with the negative.

So I woke up Christmas eve about 05:00 with chronic stomach cramps and a bad dose of Delhi Belly. I managed to get back to sleep but was up and down all day. All I could stomach was water and even that was in small sips. By 22:00 that evening I was still feeling rough and had to bail on the party I was supposed to attend, not the way I wanted my Christmas to start but vowed if I was still rough Christmas Day I was going to the chemist and getting something that made me feel better, legal or otherwise.

I woke up Christmas day about 08:00 and wasn't sure how I felt. I had slept all night and just felt hungry. I took a gamble and made myself some toast. It was only when I heard Christmas carols at full belt I remembered it was Christmas day. Now before arriving here I understood that the Christian faith was a minority faith in India, but I was surprised at how many people were celebrating, even if it wasn't quite in the way I was used to. Silly really, if I had thought about it for one second I would have remembered how Indians love a good party and don't need a reason, given a reason it just makes for a bigger party. I'm in!

I took a walk up to the local malls and you wouldn't know it was Christmas, except the street vendors were selling Father Christmas hats instead of the normal tourist junk. Life was in full swing and it was then I decided I was better. I grabbed some fruit juice, milk, and bread and headed for home where I made myself a bacon sandwich and opened my Christmas stocking that Mum had sent me back with. I thought of opening the Christmas presents straight after but decided I need to keep the tradition so settled back and watched Christmas movies. At about 12:00 I decided it was lunch time and made myself a ham salad. After I finished I opened my Christmas gifts (Thanks Everyone). I then called Vikram and we re-organised the Christmas Eve Party.

Karan picked me up at 18:30 and we headed to Vikram's place. I got the usual warm welcome at Vikrams place, the guard asked me 20 inane questions, I shrugged and quoted the apartment number, he tried to get me to sign in and I refused, he called Vikram and I headed for the elevator shouting back "I don't understand". Once inside we had a couple of beers, ordered some food, and headed for the local beer shop to stock up. Vikram took delivery of his new car on Sunday and I wanted a ride so we went for a 5 minute trip around the block, picked up some beer and headed back.

Later that evening we were joined by Vik's friends and drank, ate, but mainly drank our way through the evening, only really stopping to put the train back on the tracks for the son of Vikram's friends. It was a great evening and a better outcome that I had thought given how I had felt on Christmas Eve. I left about mid-night and had a lay-in on boxing day.

Boxing Day I woke up about 11:00 and went for a wander for a couple of hours. I couldn't really be bothered doing anything else so went back to the apartment and chilled out listening to loud music, reading, and about 15:00 I gave in and opened a beer and started to think about what else I was going to do with the few days I had left. I had mentioned to Karan that I wanted to go to the Taj Mahal so called him up. After a little discussion we settled on a 06:00 pick up.

So this morning at 06:01 I was in the car heading for Agra. It was dark and cold and I wanted to go back to bed, but NO NO NO I told myself. I have been here since July and done nothing but work so I was doing this. About 20 minutes from Agra Karan woke me up....WOW what a dump!

We made our way through the car park barrier and were swamped with tout's, vendors, Camels, and offers of an auto rickshaw ride. I could smell the camels as I got out of the car and opted for an auto rikshaw and the government guide. We drove the 35 seconds to the Taj (Doh first mistake) paid Rs 200 (£2.56), well over the odds, but then enjoyed a pretty good guided tour. The place is pretty impressive, although not as impressive as I was expecting. I don't know exactly what I was expecting really but other people had told me a lot about it, so I guess I was expecting it to be bigger. It probably is if you look at the reasons for it being built, but it is difficult to appreciate the work that went into it, unless you have first hand knowledge of working with marble.

Anyway after about 2 hours the tour guide offered to show us how the marble inlay was done, and I was quite interested in seeing this (mistake number two). We headed out of a side gate into what was obviously a street of shops and the guide showed me to a little "government" shop. I smelt a rat as soon as I saw the benches in front of the counters and was asked to sit as they brought out a selection of there wares.

Now they were nice and I love marble so listened to the sales patter. They showed me plates, cups, jewelry boxes, and elephants but I got up and said I wanted to look around on my own. This confused them somewhat, but ass I had been suckered so was going to make the most of it. I made them more or less empty ever display case of something or other and inspected every inch. I finally settled on a set of six marble coasters with the Taj Mahal inlaid. They tried to push me further but I then said I changed my mind and wanted nothing. We eventually settled on the coasters.

Next stop was how they made the precious stones, and I saw this one coming. I walked in the shop and the guide stepped back outside. What he hadn't realized is while paying for my coasters I had emptied my wallet of notes and credit cards into other pockets. The guy spent about 3 minutes getting boxes out of the display cases and I took my wallet out, making sure he could see its contents and asked what I could buy for Rs 150 (£1.92). He was *pissed*.

I left the shop and asked the guide to show us back to the car. We arrived back at the auto rickshaw and climbed aboard. 35 seconds later we were back at the car and the auto rickshaw driver was demanding another Rs 200. I told him I had already paid and walked away. Poor Karan then became the subject of there attention. They settled on Rs 50 from Karan, which I gave to him later and then told me they had booked me a table at the restaurant for a very special lunch. The guide was equally as pissed when I told them that Karan had already booked us a restaurant and we needed to leave to make the appointment. I guess I should of told Karan about this before hand, but he just went quiet and shrugged.

Now lesson number three was that I should have asked the guide how much before hand, but government guides are usually Rs 500 (£6.39) but he was demanding Rs 1000 (£12.78). I thought about arguing, but it's not in my nature.....Okay so the rickshaw guy's were gathering and the look on his face when I pulled out Rs 1000 from my other pocket was priceless after hearing the words exchanged between him and the precious stone seller.

Well I had learnt a few lessons, but I don't think I came out cheated. In fact I think there were a few guys stood there at the end wondering exactly what had happened.

So we jumped in the car and headed back out into Agra. Did I mention it's a dump? This time I was awake and Karan couldn't stop laughing when a rickshaw driver hit him from behind depositing his customers on the ground and I yelled 20 POINTS. We worked our way out heading for Fatehpur Sikri. About half way Karan announced he was hungry and I realized I hadn't eaten all day so way out of my depth I asked Karan to find a restaurant.

Now given my experiences on Christmas Eve I was a little hesitant when we pulled over into what I can only describe as a little chef without the elegance. I was surprised however when Karan barked something and we were shown into a side building that was just like a little chef (Plastic chairs, and patio tables included). The restaurant was full of other middle class indians all happily eating so I went for it. There were western dishes on the menu, but I have learnt these usually carry more risk as they are not quite sure what they are cooking or how to cook them so we settled on Roti and Dal. It wasn't bad but I couldn't live on it. The waiter then brought out another dish and set it down and stated it was complementary. Karan wasn't sure and I could see it in his face. I asked him it was okay and he said he wasn't sure. I said I would try it and then he said in a very authoritarian way that he would try it first. I could see he wasn't comfortable. He tried one mouthful with Roti and didn't look impressed. He took a mouthful of bottled water I had insisted on buying and said, "no it's bad, old food!" Then started yelling at the lad that had set it down. There must have been something in it as the place went quiet and he cleared it away. Two lunches Rs 220 (£2.81), including a coke and bottled water. Time will tell if it was value for money I guess. We continued on to Fatehpur Sikri.

We arrive in normal style, surrounded by touts but this time we were ready. I had told Karen No Guides. He didn't quite understand the Internet but understood I could read about it. Mind you it didn't stop the bastards trying. The funny thing was the official government guide started off at Rs 500 and dropped to Rs 100 as we got nearer. Karan and I both laughed when we were accosted by a young lad that could be no more than 7 who offered to be our guide for Rs 7 (£0.09). I gave him Rs 10 for making me smile, and no I still had my wallet as I walked away.

At the top of the steps we were approached yet again and Karan tried every trick in the book to get rid of him. It was when he told me that Karan wasn't allowed in I bite and asked him if he could fly? He looked a little confused, so I explained if he spoke to me or Karan again I was going to throw him off the top of the stairs, funnily enough he gave up, mind you he did say goodbye as we left. Well I felt better, but won't win any UN recognition awards.

We drove back and I feel shattered, but happy. I can now say Xmas 2007 I went to the Taj Mahal!

The photo's can be found here if you haven't clicked on the embedded pictures already, Xmas 2007, Taj Mahal, Fatehpur Sikri.

Tags: Beer, Friends, Fun, Muslim, Sickness, Sightseeing

Well last week was a busy, but good week. I managed to leave the office by 18:00 every evening and have even caught up on some reading and movie watching. Wednesday night Chris, Sandra, Vikram and myself went out to dinner with Eve Green and Bianca Kress, and Friday night Chris, Sandra, Vikram and myself enjoyed a typical Friday night drinking session.

Saturday morning I really didn't want to get up (I think it was the peanuts), but I had to go shopping for my outfit for the COLT Diwali party. I met up with Chris and Sandra at one of the malls (I really have to start remembering the names) where we selected our traditional outfits. I left Chris and Sandra shopping and went and picked up some groceries before heading home for lunch. After lunch I couldn't decided between going sightseeing or going to the gym, so I selected to have a nap and think about it. I woke up about 17:30 and grabbed a shower and then headed off to TGI Friday's for dinner and a few beers.

Yesterday morning I had a nice lay in and spent the day relaxing, watching TV, and listening to some Pod-casts, in preparation for the Diwali party. I left (feeling slightly uncomfortable in my outfit) just after 17:00 and headed towards Sun City Farm near Delhi.

It was a good evening with plenty of beer and food and I think everybody enjoyed themselves. Everybody including myself was tired this morning and I think there will be a few early nights tonight. I have created a gallery with a few of the pictures here for those that are interest in such things.

Tags: Beer, Food, Friends, Party, Fun

Well this week has been just a hectic as normal but things are a lot more settled. The general atmosphere has improved in the office and people are a lot more content with what they are doing, we still have some way to go but it's great to see people discussing issues between themselves before escalating. My main body of work this week has been around setting up our new office in Bangalore, and recruiting staff to replace those that have left over the last 6 months. We have some very aggressive time-scales for the Bangalore site and an awful lot to do.

The most frustrating aspect has been trying to negotiate our own processes and systems, but by Friday we had made some positive advances. I think I am going to have to spend a few evenings this week making sure everything is in order, but I am looking forward to the challenge of bringing all the pieces together.

I managed to get to the gym Monday, Wednesday, Saturday and Sunday this week, and today enjoyed a Swedish deep tissue and Indian head massage after a good workout. I know I will have no problems sleeping this evening. Today I honestly thought my trainer was trying to kill me. After doing a 20 minute run and some weight training he had me doing abdominal excercises. I soon realized just how unfit I am, but Amit was pretty confident he could get me into shape. Simon, the Root Cause Analysis Trainer, has been over from the UK this week and we made some good progress on incorporating the training into our existing processes. Tuesday and Thursday we took the work back to Simon's hotel and ironed out some of the creases over a few beers. The 20-20 world cricket has been on and the Indians love there cricket so after a while we had to put the work to the side as we couldn't hear ourselves over the cheering.

Saturday night I met up with some of the Windows team as it was Parvinders (The Windows Team Leader) birthday. We headed in the new friends colony in New Delhi about 17:30 and met up in a one of the restaurants for some snacks and a few beers. The guys had strategically placed themselves right in front of a large TV screen so we could follow the India / Australia. At 20:00 we had to move on as there was a 1000 Rupee per head surcharge (because of the cricket). We soon found another restaurant that was showing the match and settled in for a few more beers and some more food. This morning I woke up and could still taste the green chillies I had eaten, and it took about a pint and half of water before I could feel my lips.

Tags: Beer, Birthdays, Food, Fun, Party

So yesterday was a day of relaxation. Mum, Dad, Katrina, Rob, William, and I went to the annual Balloons Over Basingstoke festival. Every year there is a large fun fair and arena shows and stalls and then hundreds of hot air balloons take off from the war mamorial park. The wind was a little eratic yesterday so no balloons could take the air but we had a great time just looking around and William was facinated with everything.

In the evening we returned to my parents where I enjoyed a nice home cooked meal and a little too much beer, Any way check out the Gallery as I have uploaded the photo's taken during the course of the day.

Today I have some paper work to catch up on and a report to write for work, guess that's what happens when you take a day off, but it was worth it.

Tags: Fun